The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-07-14
Insult to tho Chief Executive. )"


The Democratic press of the country is
stopping over with such sentences as the
following taken from the Baltimore San,
of the 9th, referring to the declension of
President Cleveland to attend at st. Louis
on the occasion of the encampment Of the
Grand Army of the Republic mo body
of citizens in this country, in fact. can
have conceded 30 it the privilege of insult
ing with impunity the Chief Executive of
the Nation" While it is not true that
any body of citizens has sought to insult
the Chief Executive of the Nation, in the
person of Mr.. Cleveland, it Is not out of
place to referto what a body of citizens with
which the sam and other Democratic papers
are identified has done, and the insults
which have been offered to the Chief EXecu-
tive of theN Nation. Abraham Lincoln was le-
gally and constitutionally eleosed President
of the United States. In passing from his
home in Illinois to the seat of national
government to take the oath of office and
enter upon the duties which the people,
UllOuSll lCSdI iOl LID, LOU cdllCu lliIl W Ills
charge, it was deemed advisable for him to
pass through Baltimore in disguise, as a
precautionary measure to preserve his
life. After he was inaugurated, he was
denounced by this same ''body of citizens''
as an ape, an ill-shapen, ignorant rail
splitter, unfit for the position to VIII ich he
had been elected. Gen. Grant, after he
had taken the oath of Office. was stigma
tiled as drunken sot, a brutal tyrant and
a butcherer, the associate and confidant Of
whisky rings and whisky thieves, the COM
panion of unprincipled adventures and
designing conspirators against the Repub-
lie; a despot who was aiming to destroy
the liberties of the people. Gen. Hayes,
who was declared President by a double
at thority-first by majority of the le-
gally chosen electors of the States and by
an extraordinary commission suggested
and supported by the Democratic party in
Congress-was referred to by this same
''body of citizens,'' as Ibis frauduleney. -
President Arthur was called the accident
of an assassination" the chief of New
York ward politicians and faithless pub
lie officer, who was removed from office be-
cause Of incompetency or corruption. Such
! were some of the insults offered to and
epithets directed against the Republican
Presidents from Lincoln to Arthur, by a
"body of citizens" and their representa-
tive speakers and!papers, who now consti-
tute part of the Democratic party.
But what change! Because the mem
bers of the Grand Army of the Republic
manifested their Indignation and resent
ment on account of the vetoes of Presi
dent Cleveland of bills to pension old SOL
diers, which the representatives of the
people in Congress had enacted, and open
ly made known that they did not desire to
meet him ON public occasion especially
dedicated to that organization, it is as
sumed that an insult was offered to the
"Chief. Executive of the Nation" And his
electioneering letter giving his reason for
withdrawing his acceptance OF the invita-
ton to attend, heralded to the country as
the embodiment of exalted notions OF Of
| fetal and personal dignity and self-respect.
The elaborate manner in which these rea-
sons were presented-the affected concern
| for the dignity of the Executive office, and
the resentful spirit which characterized
them, were the arttul arrangements OF a
scheming politician. more than the dlgnl-
| fed and courtly utterances of the "Chef
Executive of the Nation" 1t makes a
great difference with the Democratic pa
pers as to what is an insult to the 'Chief
Executive of the Nation, F" if the occupant
of that high Office happens to be Repub-
lican and explains the extreme sweetness
of the same papers for the Chief Execu-
tive at this particular time.